איוב, פרק ל״ג, פסוק ט״ו

God communicates with humanity through a dynamic and tailored process, adjusting His message to fit the exact spiritual condition of the individual. Often, this divine guidance and revelation of the future takes place while a person sleeps. The primary approach among commentators is that these nighttime communications are not uniform; rather, they exist on a spectrum of distinct levels, each corresponding to the spiritual readiness and quality of the person receiving the message [מצודת דוד, אלשיך].

The most basic level of this communication is a dream. This might be a standard dream where God simply prompts a person to correct their behavior [אלשיך], or it can be a true dream where a divine message activates the imagination to reveal future events [מלבי״ם]. A step above the dream is the night vision, which is an actual, direct prophetic experience [רמב״ן, אלשיך]. Because of its intensity, this nighttime prophecy can be physically and emotionally taxing, sometimes bringing terrifying images along with it [תקות אנוש].

These spiritual experiences are paired with specific physical states of consciousness. One such state is a profoundly deep sleep. However, this is not a natural rest. It is a targeted, prophetic deep sleep that God intentionally casts upon an individual to open their awareness to His message. This intense state is reserved for people on a very high spiritual level and can even occur in the middle of the day [מלבי״ם, תקות אנוש, אלשיך]. On the opposite end of the physical spectrum is a very light slumber, a state of half-wakefulness where the person is merely dozing [מלבי״ם, אלשיך].

Commentators offer different perspectives on how these physical states align with the types of revelation. One approach draws a direct parallel, suggesting that true prophetic dreams occur during deep sleep, while visions take place during light slumber, as the half-awake state allows the person to be more attentive to the visual experience [מלבי״ם]. Alternatively, the progression can be understood as a continuous, ascending ladder of four distinct prophetic stages. This ladder begins with a simple dream accessible to anyone, rises to the more intense night vision, climbs further to the deep prophetic sleep, and ultimately peaks at the highest level of prophecy. In this view, the greatest prophetic stature is demonstrated precisely when a person receives a revelation during a mere light slumber, revealing an immense prophetic capacity [אלשיך].